Apps, Mobile & SMS

New Music Tech For Artists: Bandcamp, Blend, Simplecrew, Digital White Label

DigitalwhitelabelA lot of music tech doesn't exist for the benefit of musicians. But neither do a lot of music companies. Bandcamp is strongly focused on musicians' needs but Tyler Hayes wonders if they have a streaming problem. Blend introduced Stem projects this week with the help of OK Go. Simplecrew and Digital White Label look worth checking out if you're in need of, respectively, street team management or a new fan club. But keep in mind with new services that some won't be sticking around.

Does Bandcamp Have A Streaming Problem?

I'm a big fan of Bandcamp as a music tech company that's well-designed to support the needs of musicians. They keep updating the platform and always with an eye for what works best for artists.

However Tyler Hayes thinks Bandcamp has a "streaming problem."

OK Go Helps Blend Debut Stem-Only Projects

Blend is becoming an increasingly flexible and useful platform for collaboration and "community remixing."

This week they announced support for Stem projects kicking off with OK Go's "I Won't Let Your Down."

Two New Services: Simplecrew and Digital White Label

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SimpleCrew Product Overview

Simplecrew is an app for managing marketing and promotions with a street team.

Digital White Label is an interesting looking platform for fanclubs.

I haven't had the opportunity to check these out but they both look worth knowing about.

The Danger With New Sites & Services

Hate to follow the introduction of two new services with this but it needs to be said more generally:

The problem with music tech companies and startups in general is that they have a high death rate. If an untested company requires you to change everything you're doing, you're probably not going to do it but, if you're considering such a move and they're not paying you to promote it, don't do it.

Start out with small experiments to see if the platform's for you. And learn to catch signs of progress forward or back. If the same artists are featured on the homepage week after week for no clear reason, if the blog's rarely updated, if no new members seem to be joining, if activity seems to be stuck, those are bad signs.

If you're trying something mission critical like crowdfunding, don't do it on an untested platform. If something looks useful, start monitoring it to see where it goes. Lots of people are saying nice things. Of the people that actually do them, not all survive. Don't let your future be undermined by rosy promises and failure to deliver.

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand and is relaunching Crowdfunding For Musicians. Contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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